Sample being loaded into DSC stage on Campus in CarolinaTwo of the most prestigious universities in the world’s two largest economic superpowers have teamed up to improve drug delivery methods - with the help of two Linkam stages.

Scientists from both The University of South Carolina, in the USA, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in China, are working together to limit the effect of the immune response of our bodies on cells that are being used for medicinal benefit.

One of the most common methods being used for the delivery of drugs is microencapsulation. The basic idea of this method is to place the therapeutic cells inside a membrane that protects them from the immune response of T cells and antibodies which will try and destroy them and thus negate the desired effect of the cell.

In order to make this study viable, the team also had to improve the cryopreservation method to store the encapsulated cells without them losing their integrity or becoming toxic.

This is where the Linkam freeze drying stage (FDCS196) played a key role – through use of the heating/cooling stage, it was found that the use of Ca2+ ions and dimethylsulfoxide helped the microcapsule maintain its integrity and structure throughout its preservation.

It has also allowed the team to produce microcapsules that facilitate a much better intake of oxygen and nutrients which leads to an increase in the long-term survival of the therapeutic cell that is contained within the structure.

But that’s not all, this on-going study has also made good use of the Linkam DSC600 stage. Aided by its small furnace and consequently fast response time – it allowed for the team to simultaneously measure optical and enthalpy data of the microcapsule structures.